“We get to be the ones that get to connect all that up and make it clear. The fact that we can do it in video game form is just amazing.”

That said, Colonial Marines isn’t just a bit of fan service for those who already geek out over the ranchise.

“Let’s say you’re one of those who didn’t watch the Alien films but you love action-shooter games. Having this entry point into the source of all that inspiration is neat because you don’t have to go watch a film from 1986,” Pitchford said.

“You can play a modern game built with today’s technology and future technology that’s built for modern sensibilities, but still get that grounding point and see where the source is.”

Aliens: Colonial Marines is due in northern autumn on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with a Wii U version undated.